Versatile Functions Make Restaurant POS Systems Indispensible

One of the most important recording and reporting tool for any restaurant or eatery to have in place is its restaurant point of sale software. At the very onset, you may find it difficult to understand the capabilities and features of a point of sale software for restaurants. So, read on for some valuable insights into the functionalities of a well equipped POS system.

Credit card processing

The ultimate requirement for a POS system is to take menu orders in an accurate manner and process the dues for these orders. As many clients prefer to pay through their credit cards, credit card processing is an important feature and applicability of a well programmed restaurant point of sale software.

Before purchasing this software, you need to have a clear idea about the compatibility of the POS system with particular merchant account providers. The software should be customized to add bar tabs and tips to the main order bill as well.

Organization tool

Apart from being accurate and reliable software for processing orders and collecting payments, POS systems also act as the perfect organization tool for handling several facets of your restaurant business. With less confusion in handling orders and servicing them in a timely manner, you can be assured of more loyal customers and repeated visits to your restaurant.

Some areas which need attention and benchmarked handling means are:

Table Management

It is good to have your restaurant packed to full capacity. But are you prepared to handle each client with expertise and care? A well programmed POS system helps in keeping track of the dining time preferences of regular clients and records reservations in an orderly fashion—thus allowing enough time to manage the servicing capacity of your wait staff, butlers and other floor employees.

Tracking of orders

Scribbling orders on small scraps of paper and passing the same on to chefs in a chaotic kitchen is passé. Now restaurant POS software is geared to take in the order at the table print /display the same in a convenient manner inside the kitchen. The server is then left free to handle the needs of other customers who have just arrived or are waiting to take a decision on what to order.

Inventory Tracking

Some POS systems are also programmed to keep accurate track of the inventory and conduct comparisons with the items which have been sold. A clear perception of your requirements and in-possession inventory along with all that is going to waste, leads to cost effectiveness and greater savings for your business.

Along with the above, these systems are also capable of generating sales and cost reports, employee payroll slips and other functions like keeping track of cash receipts, recording of client preferences and so forth.

With over 10 years of experience in developing restaurant point of sale software applications, the author of this article is a self made software developer, a good cook, and a globe trotter. She has developed different cloud based applications for point of sale software for restaurants that are being used by different hospitality industry players.